Constellations of the Heart
by Rigella
Summary: A young woman befriends the Marauders during the first war against Voldemort. No one knows where she came from, but they know exactly what's familiar about her... Long fic from my 'old days'. I haven't re-read it in a while, appologies. Reviews are love.
1. Prologue & Chapter 1: Return to Hogwarts

Prologue 

Smoke streamed through the ruins of the manor, rising to blot out the stars. Blackness, ash, and despair were all that remained of the once-proud building, its elaborately carved ebony doorframes and eves burnt to charcoal.

Rigella stood on the rise, silhouetted against the midnight sky, staring down at the desolation. This was where her family had lived for three generations, untouched, unchanged. It had been a refuge for witches and wizards with nowhere else to turn, as well as her home.

She could see it, in her mind, see it as it had been. She could see the tall, elegant ebony framework, with its silver inlay, the white plaster of the walls. The cobbled paths that wound their way between flowerbeds, with daffodils and daisies, hyacinths, bluebells and rose petals spilling onto the soft green grass. The children and chickens that darted about underfoot, and adults smiling as they passed. 

Peace. Freedom. Serenity. But now it was gone. All their hopes, their dreams, destroyed in one moment of spite, one second of pure hate and malice. Smoke and unshed tears stung her eyes. _How many? She wondered __how many died here tonight? How many died for their freedom? In her heart, though, she knew she alone had survived. Against all odds he had found them, and she was all that was left. Her parents, her brothers… the memory of that insane laughter, the screams and flashes of light would haunt her all her life._

She took a deep breath, scanning the ruins for the last time, and turned away, burying her tear streaked face in the snowy mane of the shining white horse at her side. She knew what she must do now, knew where she had to go- England, her great-uncle, the school.

Aia flicked her tail and snorted, rubbing her slender muzzle against Rigella's arm. Rigella lifted her head and stroked the horse's nose.

"Aia," she whispered, "you are all the hope I have left."

Return to Hogwarts 

"I tell you, this is the best part of the whole damn trip," Sirius Black informed his friends as he opened one of the many bags of food in his lap. "If it weren't for Chocolate Frogs and Cauldron Cakes, I'd just fly to school every year."

James Potter, Sirius' best friend, grinned at him from the other side of the compartment and ruffled his already-messy black hair.

"So the only reason you come back year after year is to feed your face, is it, Sirius?" James grinned again and put on a slightly offended voice. "And I thought you actually liked us!"

Sirius returned his smile and threw a Pumpkin Pasty at him.

"That _might be a part of it…but after the World Cup and that incident regarding my pyjamas, I'm not entirely sure… I mean, there's something decidedly uncool about having a best friend who turns your PJs into Snitches and then spends half an hour in hysterics - while you run around the campsite wearing nothing but a towel trying to catch them - instead of helping you!"_

"Oh, come on, Siri, it was _funny_!"

"Yeah, funny… like the time we had group detention with Snape? And he threw dung at you?" Sirius sneered at him. "Funny my arse."

James had gone slightly green at the memory. But the mention of that particular detention usually turned the conversation from discussion to argument. James opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the potential conflict was interrupted by a voice from the corner of the compartment.

Remus Lupin had at last emerged from the depths of the enormous book resting on his lap. Of a height with James, Remus had golden-brown eyes and his light-brown hair was showing a few flecks of premature grey. He shut _Mediaeval Muggles_ with a snap and looked at them irritatedly.

"If you two insist on having yet another pointless discussion, find somewhere else to do it. Otherwise, shut up and let me read." Remus was not in the mood for more nonsense. It was two days since the full moon, and as usual, he was exhausted. After listening to James and Sirius arguing about Quidditch and Peter whining like a two-year-old for the past two hours, his nerves were about to give way.

James shut his mouth, his brown eyes darting rapidly from Remus to Sirius. Sirius, however, grinned confidently at Remus and his blue eyes sparkled as he ran a hand through his long black hair.

"Awww, c'mon Moony, lighten up! Pull your nose out of that book and have something to eat." Sirius threw Remus a bag of food.

Sirius began to suck absent mindedly on a Pepper Imp. He knew better than to be _too worried about Remus. Back in their first year, he would have been confused and concerned by his friend's behavior, but since the discovery of what happened to Remus every month, he was not surprised. It was only two days since the full moon, and transforming into a Werewolf was enough to fray anyone's nerves. Moony was always dead on his feet for a few days afterwards. All he needed was to get to Hogwarts, eat something and get some sleep._

For a few minutes, the compartment was silent, except for the sounds of contented munching and rustling paper bags.

"Hey, what are these?" shrilled Peter Pettigrew. He was small, round and rather ratlike in appearance, with thin blonde hair and a whining voice. Sirius looked at Peter, who was holding up a small, puffy thing in one hand. It was light brown and looked like some kind of oddly shaped biscuit.

"They're called Fortune Cookies," stated Remus. Everyone looked at him. "Muggles love them. Look, you eat the brown part and there's a piece of parchment inside"- he bit into one and removed the slip- "with your fortune on it. See?"

The boys were fascinated by this concept and the next few minutes were spent devouring the cookies as they read out their fortunes.

"This can't be right, it says the full moon brings good luck, but that's the worst time of the month…"

"Mine says something about counting chickens…"

"Damn, apparently I'll get a negative answer to an important question soon," said James, brow furrowed.

"Oooh, I wonder what _that_ means!?" squeaked Peter excitedly, bouncing on his seat as he tried to peer over James' shoulder at the parchment.

Sirius sniggered. "What d'you think, Peter? It means Lily'll turn him down again. Didn't need a biscuit to tell us that, though, did we?"

James began pelting him with Berti Bott's Every Flavor Beans. "What does yours say, Sirius?"

Sirius looked down at the tiny scrap of parchment in his hand.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

Too quickly, he realized. A grin spread over James' face and Sirius knew he should have made something up.

He hadn't noticed the wand in James' hand until he heard James cry "Accio!" and the parchment flew out of his hand.

James smirked at him.

"_Love will find you before the year is out," he read, his smirk growing. Peter sniggered at Sirius and even Remus smiled._

Sirius wanted to scream.


	2. Chapter 2: Racing the Storm

Racing the Storm 

September passed quickly; the only highlight was a small incident involving Filch and a bag of Dungbombs, which both James and Sirius maintained had nothing to do with them. October, too, was uneventful, until Halloween arrived.

Halloween at Hogwarts was always a grand affair. The hundreds of floating candles in the Great Hall now hovered inside miniature Jack 'o lanterns, casting an eerie orange light over the house tables, and a tribe of enchanted gingerbread men had been running around the castle since breakfast, nibbling ankles and singing disjointed snatches of songs. Sirius, however, was looking forward to the feast.

He and James spent the afternoon down on the Quidditch Pitch, practicing for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw. At 5:15, the Gryffindor captain, Beau Jordan, called the team out of the air just as lightening began to stab at the edge of the Forbidden Forrest.

"Right!" Jordan yelled over the boom of thunder. "Back to the castle!"

"C'mon, you pansies!" roared Sirius as the team began to dismount. "What's a bit o' wind!?"

He turned and zoomed recklessly toward the castle on his broom, James hot on his heels. Jordan and the rest only hesitated a moment before climbing back on their broomsticks.

Sirius and James raced neck and neck towards the castle. The doors appeared in front of them. They looked at one another and grinned. Two hands pulled wands from gold-and-scarlet robes, two voices shouted "_Ovaris__!" and the great oak doors flew open. Laughing like maniacs, Sirius and James zoomed through the Entrance Hall and up the marble staircase, nearly bowling over a group of Hufflepuff first years who were coming down._

Up three floors, down a corridor; James had the look he got every time he saw the Snitch in a Quidditch match. Sirius threw back his head and whooped with laughter.

They turned a corner, and James registered three things at once. The first was that, here, the passage narrowed and the ceiling was much lower. The second was that he and Sirius would have to fly in single file.

The third was Lily Evans, standing defiantly in the middle of the corridor. 

James slowed fractionally. Sirius grinned at him. Lily stood with her feet firm and her chin raised angrily, her green eyes glaring hate and disgust in their direction. She showed no sign of moving as they sped closer…

*********

Lily was not afraid of being hit by a pair of teenage boys on brooms. Her mind was elsewhere: focused on the lecture she intended to give them when they stopped, and how many different ways she could kick them both all the way to Gryffindor Tower and back, in fact. She brushed a strand of red hair out of her face in annoyance.

James' face was beginning to pale. _Good, thought Lily smugly. _Time the stupid drop-kick learns who's boss_._

Sirius still seemed hesitant to end their game of chicken, but as the two boys realized Lily had no intention of moving, and that the chances of knocking over a prefect, even if she was just a stand-in, and getting away with it were minimal, even Sirius got a hold of himself. The boys finally pulled up less than a meter short of colliding with her.

Lily didn't waste a second.

"James Potter and Sirius Black. I would have expected better of you two if I hadn't already known you for four years! The two of you are a _disgrace to the name of Gryffindor! I'm surprised Dumbledore hasn't had you kicked out of the castle by now! If Kat was here, she'd march you off to McGonagall, and take fifty points besides!" Lily finally paused to draw breath. The boys were white-faced, even Sirius, who was trying to look cocky and failing dismally._

"As it happens," Lily continued, struggling to stay calm, "she and Remus are at a prefect meeting, so the honor of punishing you rests with me. Twenty points each will be taken from Gryffindor."

The boys gasped. Flipping her scarlet braid over her shoulder in annoyence, Lily eyed them severely.

"Be grateful it isn't more, you pathetic toe-rags! Kat wouldn't have been as lenient and I'm not sure why _I am. Now get off those brooms before I have them confiscated!"_

*********

Even their run-in with Lily didn't dampen Sirius' spirits for long. The reminder that Remus and Kat, the other Evans girl, were at the prefect meeting had brought a smile; a certain passage he had told Remus about actually led to the grounds near the Forbidden Forest, not the Gryffindor Tower, but Remus hadn't needed to know that.

Sirius and James ran the rest of the way to the tower, through the portrait hole and into the common room. Students sat around in armchairs chatting and playing Wizard's Chess, or at desks in the corner, muttering as they reread essays on Vampire banishment, and putting final touches on star charts. A few of them looked up as James and Sirius dashed up the stairs to the dormitory with their brooms.

Remus was already in the Great Hall when they finally arrived and seated themselves opposite him. Two minutes later Peter appeared, puffing hard and pockets bulging. Since James and Sirius had been at Quidditch practice and Remus had been at a prefects' meeting, Peter had spent his afternoon in the kitchens "talking" to the House Elves. As usual, the tiny Hogwarts cooks were almost desperate to give food away to anyone who even _thought "hungry"._

The Great Hall was nearly full now. The last few students trickled into the Hall and took their places at the house tables. Up at the teachers' table, Dumbledore, his shining silver beard set off by flowing black robes, got to his feet and waited for the excited babble to die down.

One by one the house tables fell silent and a sea of eager faces turned towards Dumbledore. 

"Halloween is a cause for excitement," he began, "and as such I will keep this as brief as possible. But whilst we celebrate, we must remind ourselves that others in our world suffer. Do not take joy, love and festivities for granted."

Sirius exchanged looks with Remus and James. Professor Dumbledore was looking extremely grave. Peter, who was secretly guzzling a cream-cake from his pocket, was paying no attention to Dumbledore whatsoever.

"It is fitting that today is Halloween," Dumbledore's face brightened and his voice lost its note of seriousness. "For on the day each of you first came to this school, you were welcomed with a feast. And today, a new student has come to Hogwarts."

A collective murmur of surprise ran through the Hall. Sirius noticed for the first time that the Sorting Hat was sitting on its stool beside Professor McGonagall. He nudged James with his elbow, gesturing towards the Hat. James' eyes widened.

"I trust you will all make her feel welcome. She has traveled a great distance to be here, and being the new student at any school is always difficult." Dumbledore continued.

Sirius and James looked at each other. Who would start at Hogwarts in the middle of the year? 

*********

Remus was sure he knew who the new student would be. He thought back on the afternoon's events and he was certain.

_Remus__ was walking with Kat Evans, his fellow Gryffindor prefect, towards the entrance hall, hoping to get inside before the storm reached them. They were returning from a prefect meeting, and both were talking irately about what they would do to Sirius for telling them that a secret passage behind the blue Merlin tapestry on the third floor led directly to the __Gryffindor__Tower__. Remus realized he shouldn't have believed Sirius; the passage in question had actually led into the grounds near the edge of the Forest, meaning it had taken them almost fifteen minutes to get back to the castle while the sky darkened and thunder growled overhead._

_Remus__ stumbled over a loose shoelace and Kat turned back to wait for him. Suddenly her eyes widened and her mouth formed a stunned O of surprise. Twisting his head, Remus followed her gaze._

_Galloping across the sky towards them was a magnificent white horse, shining so brightly its hooves flashed and the air around it glowed. The aura it created illuminated the shape of a rider on its back as it raced the storm towards the castle._

_About a hundred feet from them, the horse changed the angle of its flight, coming lower and lower. Its rider was clearly visible now: a black-haired girl Kat's age, dressed in pale shades of blue. Although she sat in the saddle as though she had ridden all her life, her shoulders slumped and her face was down, obscured by her hair. As the horse touched the ground, she swayed forward dangerously, her robes flying around her._

_Remus__ stood slowly and Kat moved beside him. The horse came to a halt before them. The rider lifted her head and Remus saw her eyes. They were clear, shining and brilliant blue- blue as the ocean, eyes that were like mirrors of Sirius' eyes._

_For a moment she gazed at them passively, searchingly. Suddenly she shuddered, slid sideways and toppled to the ground._

_Kat and Remus yelled and rushed forwards, but she was on her feet again before they reached her. For a second she stood shivering and withdrawn, then gave one final shudder and raised her head to face them. She opened her mouth, hesitating, as if unsure what to say._

_Kat broke the silence. "Welcome to Hogwarts. I'm Kat Evans and this is Remus Lupin, prefects for Gryffindor."_

_The girl's face broke into a smile. "My name is Rigella," she said warmly. "I need to see Professor Dumbledore."_

*********

_Kat and Remus led Rigella through the castle towards Professor Dumbledore's office. Just as Remus was wondering how they would get in without the password, they were startled by a voice from behind them._

_"Rigella?"__ Dumbledore's voice was soft and his eyes wide and wondering. Rigella spun around. She saw him and with an incoherent cry launched herself into his arms. Dumbledore hugged her._

_"It has happened then?" he asked quietly. Rigella nodded silently as she sobbed into his emerald robes. For a moment Dumbledore closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Then he lifted his head._

_"Kat, if you would be so kind as to run to the Hospital Wing and ask Madame Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall to come to my office as soon as possible? Remus, you may follow me."_

_Professor Dumbledore led them quickly towards his office. He muttered "Orion" at a stone gargoyle and it sprang aside, revealing a winding stone staircase. Remus followed Dumbledore and Rigella up the stairs to a landing with two carved doors on one side- Dumbledore's office._

_Dumbledore motioned for Remus to wait on the landing, and vanished through the doors with Rigella._

_Ten minutes later, Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey climbed the stairs, followed by a rather breathless Kat. The two women hurried straight into Professor Dumbledore's office, leaving the doors wide open. Kat joined Remus, who was taking advantage of the open door._

_Through it, they could see Dumbledore and Rigella facing each other across the desk. Tears trickled silently over Rigella's face, and Dumbledore's eyes shone. Kat was shocked. She had never seen Dumbledore cry._

_Upon seeing Rigella, Professor McGonagall's face softened and she pulled out her wand. She waved it briskly, and a white handkerchief blossomed from the end. Professor McGonagall handed it to Rigella as Madame Pomfrey bustled over to her, hugging the girl and breaking a block of chocolate into pieces._

_Professor Dumbledore looked at Kat and Remus, staring wide-eyed through the doorway._

_"The feast will start in twenty minutes," he told them, smiling. "You two are free to go. Thank you for your assistance. Five points each to Gryffindor."_

*********

The doors of the Great Hall swung open. Remus smiled slightly to himself. It _was_ Rigella. She had changed into dark blue robes embroidered with black and silver. The top of her midnight hair was pulled back from her face in a braid, while the rest hung loose down her back.

Sirius' jaw dropped. James sniggered and elbowed him, whispering something that sounded suspiciously like "I thought you said braids were a turn off?!". Sirius flushed slightly, but retorted "Only red ones!". James' scarlet face made Sirius look pale.

"Before you can take your place amongst the students you must be sorted into your House," Professor McGonagall was telling the girl. "Please sit on the stool and put the Hat on your head- Rigella Dumbledore."


	3. Chapter 3: Choose

Choose 

The effect of those two words was massive. The Hall erupted as, everywhere, heads turned, and whispers and gasps of astonishment flew like owls at a post office.

"_Dumbledore_?" Sirius exclaimed, turning to Remus and James, "as in, _Professor Dumbledore?" _

"She never said…" murmured Remus. He caught sight of James and Sirius' faces, and shut his mouth. _You have some explaining to do_, their eyes were saying.

"Later," he muttered darkly, resigning to the knowledge that it was too late to get out of an explanation.

Sirius looked back up to the Teachers' Table at Rigella. Her chin was raised confidently and the pride that shone on her face was plain for all to see. She caught Dumbledore's eye and he smiled at her.

Rigella turned and sat gracefully on the stool. Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her raven hair and a hush fell over the Hall. Peter, having at last finished his bun, looked up with cream on his face and hands.

Every eye was fixed on Rigella, waiting for the hat to decide.

*********

The Sorting Hat began to mutter quietly to itself. This was difficult. In all its time at Hogwarts, it had never seen something like this.

This girl, this Rigella, she was… interesting.

Her blood was so pure it made people like Severus Snape and Sirius Black look dirty, but it didn't matter to her. To a degree, she simply didn't care; the word 'Mudblood' may as well have not existed to her.

She was the personification of everything prized by Godric Gryffindor- brave, honest, and loyal- loyalty beyond her years.

But as suited as she was for Slytherin and Gryffindor, she had all the intelligence of a Ravenclaw.

Three options, if Hufflepuff was disregarded. But was Hufflepuff itself also an option? Helga had mad it clear she would accept any who were deemed unsuitable for the others. So perhaps Hufflepuff was where this girl belonged, if the others could not have her?

The Sorting Hat was intrigued. Never had it had a puzzle like this. Blood over bravery, or brain over blood? This was a challenge beyond words. 

The girl was a mix of emotions- excitement and interest, nerves and confusion, all carefully hidden beneath total calm.

But where should it put her?

*********

James checked his watch again. Three minutes. Three minutes since Rigella had put the Hat on, and still she sat there. The Sorting Hat never took this long. It had only been a matter of seconds for him.

All over the Great Hall, students were muttering. What was wrong? Why was the Hat just sitting there?

James remembered when it had been his turn to be Sorted; his worst fear had been that the Hat would not choose him a House, that he would just sit there until someone told him to go home, he didn't belong here. But it _had chosen, and chosen Gryffindor, and he couldn't be gladder. Had he not been in Gryffindor, he wouldn't have met Peter, and Remus would just be a hazy figure in the background._

Where would this strange girl end up? Which House had Dumbledore been in? 

Four minutes. As suspense became too much to bear, silence fell. 

*********

Although the Hat had been muttering feverishly inside her head for the past five minutes, Rigella was startled when it spoke to her directly.

_Choose_.

Rigella all but jumped, sure that the shock showed on her face. 

_What!?_ She hissed inside her head, conscious of the hundreds of eyes focused on her.

_I cannot place you, _the Hat replied. _You are a puzzle. So the decision rests with you. What is the one thing you want? What do you want your House to provide you? Wisdom? Glory? Choose._

Rigella was stunned. What _did_ she want? Stupid question. The thing she wanted more than anything was to see her family again, to undo what happened the night He found them.

But nothing now could change that. Which meant she wanted… what? 

Then, in an instant, she knew. She wanted, not riches or fame, but-

_Love,_ she whispered. _I want to find love. _

*********

The Sorting Hat was speechless. Then, "_Gryffindor!" it croaked, in a voice that could be heard by all. The students burst into applause as Rigella stood and took off the Hat. As she placed it back on the stool, she whispered two words: "thank you."_

Leaving the dais, she squeezed her way between the tables looking for a seat. She saw Kat, with a red-haired girl who looked like her twin and a taller girl with dark skin talking animatedly at the far end of the Gryffindor table, and wondered if they would mind her joining them. She had barely taken two steps, though, when-

"Rigella." She recognised the soft voice behind her. Rigella turned and saw Remus standing up from his seat. "You can sit with us if you want. We don't bite."

Smiling gratefully, Rigella took a seat between Remus and a group of first year boys who holding a conversation in dramatic whispers about some girl or another.

"Speak for yourself, Moony!" grinned a black-haired boy from across the table, his blue eyes sparkling mischievously as she sat down opposite him. "Remus here doesn't bite, he just spends the whole time with his head in a book. _Some_ of us, however…"

He exchanged glances with a brown-eyed boy next to him and they burst out laughing.

Remus raised an eyebrow, then continued as if nothing had happened.

"Rigella, this is James Potter-" the brown-eyed boy stood and reached across the table to shake hands with her; all traces of mischief were replaced by temporary soberness- "this is Peter Pettigrew" (a small, round boy with lank blond hair made as if to shake hands, realised his were covered in cream, and thought better of it.)

"And _this_ pathetic excuse of a human being is Sirius Black," continued Remus, smiling broadly at the boy across from Rigella. Sirius grinned insinuatingly and winked at her.

Rigella arched an eyebrow at him.

"Don't let my name fool you," he told her, leaning forward conspiratorially. "I'm actually very _un_-serious!"

Rigella laughed, and he beamed at her again.

Rigella returned his smile. "Interesting names," she mused. 

"How so?" requested Sirius.

"You can often tell a lot about people from their names." 

Sirius looked at her inquiringly. 

Rigella calmly selected a chop from the plate in front of her. James seemed surprised to realise that everyone else in the hall was already eating.  

"Lupin, you said your name was, Remus? Well, _Lupis is the Latin name for wolf. Wolves are supposed to be very loyal, especially to their pack- their friends and family. So my guess is you're someone who would die before betraying your friends." She frowned slightly. "Did your parents have some sort of affinity for wolves?"_

"Unfortunately not," said Remus dryly; "in fact the idea of meeting one seemed the last thing on their to-do list. Why do you ask?"

"In Roman legend, Remus was the name of one of the two creators of Rome. He and his brother Romulus built the city together but then fought to death over who would rule it. The two of them were actually raised by wolves." This statement was met with a rather stunned silence. Rigella looked up from her potatoes to find Peter Pettigrew's eyes bulging almost out of his face. "What most people don't realise is that Remus and Romulus were of course wizards. How else could they have communicated with wolves or built such a huge city?"

"Cool," said Remus. "So I'm destined to become a wolf. What about James?"

James smiled at Rigella. "Go for your life," he told her.

She frowned slightly. "James Potter," she mused. "What was your mother's name?"

James looked startled at the question but replied "Nevaeh Legna. And Dad's is Taiven Caedmon Potter."

Rigella's grin nearly split her face in two. "My guess is your parents were so sick of having to spell their names to everyone and having them mispronounced that they gave you the easiest name the could think of. Aside from that, I'd say there's more to you then meets the eye."

James' smile equalled Rigella's. "A lot more!" he agreed. "What about Sirius?"

Sirius looked at Rigella. Actually, he'd been studying her ever since she sat down; he couldn't take his eyes off her. Strangely, he wasn't thinking about how to get her alone in the common room- she wasn't that sort of girl. There was something about her that made him take her seriously, something that fascinated him.

"Sirius… that could mean quite a few things. Firstly, Sirius is the name of the brightest star in the sky. It's the major star of the Big Dog constellation, and it's also known as the Dog Star. 

"Secondly, in the days when Muggle sailors navigated by the stars, Sirius was said to be their guiding light. All hope was gone when Sirius went Black.

"Going back even further, the Dog Star was associated with the goddess Isis, and the Ancient Egyptians used it as a basis for their calendar." 

Rigella smiled at them as the food was replaced by apple pie and chocolate pudding. 

"I could keep going, but if any of you were that interested, you'd have paid more attention in Astronomy and Muggle Studies. " 

*********

James was exhausted by the time the boys stumbled up to Gryffindor Tower and into the dormitories. Sirius seemed completely out of it; for once he was silent as he changed into his pyjamas.

Climbing into his four-poster, James magically extinguished the lights, and for a moment the four of them lay in silence. Through the darkness, James could hear a rustling noise from Peter's side of the room. He sighed.

"Quit it, Wormtail!" he hissed angrily. The rustling stopped. Not content with the feast, Peter had smuggled more food from the Hall. The boy really _was a rat._

Once again, silence reigned over the dormitory. About ten minutes later, as Remus slept and Peter began to snore, James heard Sirius' voice.

"James?" he murmured sleepily. James grunted.

"She never said what year she was in…"

"What? Who?"

"Rigella. She… never… said…" Sirius yawned enormously, "What… year… she… was in…" he trailed off as sleep overtook him

*********

7:31am. Something brushed against James feet. He rolled over and mumbled in his sleep. _Another something jumped up onto the bed, snuffling at his ear with a wet nose and hot breath, and the first something began nibbling his foot._

Needless to say, James woke up.

"Get off, Padfoot! Shit, Wormtail, what the hell are you doing?!?" James launched himself out of bed and halfway across the room, franticly trying to untangle himself from the sheets. A squeaking grey rat clung to the linen, and a large black dog sat ginning on the bed, its head on one side and pink tongue hanging out. James plucked the rat off and flung it towards the bed. It landed on the mattress with a dull thud and quickly transformed into Peter, pink cheeked and squealing almost as much as the rat had been.

"Honestly, Siri, you are _way_ too addicted to being Padfoot," James told the dog as he bundled the sheets back onto the bed.

The dog suddenly dissolved into the shape of Sirius Black, ginning just as widely as before.

"And you are _way_ too addicted to looking at Evans! You know, it's _pathetic_! Every time she- OOF!"

"Why do our conversations always end with me throwing something at you?" asked James as Peter pulled Sirius off the floor.

"Because I can't talk with a pillow in my mouth." 

James reclaimed the pillow from Sirius.

"Smart arse."


	4. Chapter 4:Though I've Tried to Forget

Though I've Tried To Forget 

Rigella walked swiftly through the corridors of the castle. She had no trouble finding the Great Hall; she had always had a good memory. Generally useful, but not if there was something you wanted desperately to forget.

Green light flashed in her head, and she barely stifled a scream. 

_Green flashes, everywhere. High, maniacal laughter. Running… fire! Right in front of her, something falling, burning. Turn. Run. Scream. A black shape in front of her. A hand twisted in her hair. Hands, reaching, hitting, slapping her face. Scream again, kick, get him off! Slapping her again, see a light. Green lights, red-gold. Flames... now his turn to scream. _

_Run! A shadow... hide. A face! Hands, so cold, followed by pain. On the ground, blood in her eyes. A face, laughter, a wand tip raised. Screams everywhere. No! Not like this! Her scream, fear, so strong. A voice, so loud. _

_AVADA KED- _

"NOOOOO!!!!" She was lying on the floor in the corridor with her hands over her head. She felt cold, and she was shaking so badly she thought she would have collapsed again had she been standing. 

_How much longer?_ She wondered.

_AVADA KEDAVRA!!!_

She nearly screamed again as the convulsions racked her body, but they were over in seconds. They never lasted more than a moment, but after six days, they still made her want to cry.

She rose quickly to her feet. The memories might shake her to the core, but she had already learned that to think on a fit for too long would leave her screaming. Anxiously straightening her robes, she hurried on to the Great Hall.

Considering it was only just seven o'clock, Rigella was not surprised that the long house tables stood bare, and silence filled the hall. The room was empty but for a small group of House Elves who stood in one corner, apparently surveying another who was pushing a ragged-looking broom across a patch of floor about two feet away from them. As soon as they caught sight of Rigella, a House Elf with particularly big ears snapped its fingers and whispered something to the other two who stood beside it. They nodded eagerly and disappeared immediately. A moment later breakfast appeared on the tables. Looking immensely self-satisfied, the big-eared Elf vanished, leaving a thin wisp of orange smoke.

Rigella spared a moment for the remaining House Elf, who was now working the broom with renewed vengeance -and magical aid, by the look of it- but sadness clung to the edges of her smile. House Elves were loyal to the bone, regardless of their masters, and those she had grown up with had been treated as respected friends. Many of them saw The Manor as a refuge for them as well as for wizarding families. They had begun to think of the humans as 'theirs', in a way that seemed to extend past being master and servant.

And when Voldemort appeared that night, in his contempt he overlooked the House Elves. Mere servants, he had thought, and servants do nothing but serve. They would not be a threat. Let them watch their masters die. But he was wrong. Very wrong…

For the House Elves had grown to care for these humans who treated them so well, and in caring they had grown protective. So when they saw their masters begin to fall, the children tortured and adults murdered, a fury they did not understand began to fill them. Burning with hate and anger equalled only by their pain, the House Elves attacked the Death Eaters.

Although fury and surprise gave them an edge, it was a fight they could not hope to win. The Death Eaters recovered from their shock, and turned their wands on a new victim- the House Elves. And although it should have ended quickly, the dark wizards wanted more than death for the servants who dared oppose them.

A group of students wandered into the Great Hall. They saw Rigella standing between the tables, and stood staring at her, whispering and pointing at her as though believing she couldn't see them.

She looked away, and her gaze came to rest on a silver goblet. She saw herself, reflected on its tarnished surface. A tear slid down her cheek. She had never felt so alone.

"Though I've tried to forget," she whispered, "this is who I am."

*********

**Disclaimer: yep, I am JK Rowling, I own these characters and Hogwarts and- what do you take me for? If I had the talent and money of JK, I would be writing book 6, not fanfic. I don't own anything from the HP books (surprise, surprise).**

**I don't own Kat Evans either. She is the amazing creation of my good friend CJ Lupin. I hope I did her justice!**

**James' father's name and his mother's name "Nevaeh", as well as Rigella's explanation of his name are borrowed from tori_black. Everyone, read her stuff. It's great.**

**Rigella IS mine. Yay!**

**The title of this chapter is from "October" by Evanescence. It fitted my mood and the mood of the chapter.**

**Sorry it's so short this time. Happy reading!**

**Rigella**


	5. Chapter 5: Praying for a Miracle

Praying for a Miracle 

By the time the Marauders finally appeared in the Great Hall, Rigella was among the several other students dotted along the length of the Gryffindor table. She finished her toast and smiled at them as they sat down, talking and laughing loudly.

Remus smiled back, propped a dusty green book on the fruit bowl, and began to read. Rigella noticed his eyes darting down the table to where Kat, Lily and Isabelle were taking their seats.

"Hey, Rigella," James said almost as soon as he sat down, "Sirius has a question for you."

Sirius' hand froze halfway to the milk jug. He swallowed awkwardly. Suddenly he regained his composure and the cocky smile returned.

"Yeah," he said casually, "what year are you in?"

This caused an eruption of noise, laughter, arm-punching and hair-ruffling ("OI, NOT THE HAIR!" yelled Sirius) from the other boys, and Sirius grinned sheepishly.

Rigella nearly laughed. "Fifth year," she replied.

"A galleon to me!" crowed Sirius triumphantly, turning eagerly to James with an open palm.

"No way!" protested James, trying feebly to fend off Sirius' hands and wand as Sirius attempted to snatch a coin from James' hands. "_So_ totally sixth year. She looks too intelligent to be grouped with _us_!"

Remus looked up and raised his eyebrows at James, who, for some reason, looked utterly shocked and forgot to hold the money away from Sirius. With a second cry of triumph, the black-haired boy grabbed the coin and stuffed it into his robes. Remus was still staring at James.

"I never said there was anything _wrong_ with intelligence!" cried James, raising his hands defensively.

*********

"Hey, Rigel! Over here!" Kat's scarlet braid swung as she waved to a dark haired girl from across the corridor. Rigella looked up from the conversation she had previously been immersed in, although what she could have been talking about with the infamous Marauders was beyond Kat's knowledge. 

Kat beckoned to the girl, who said goodbye to the boys and headed over, leaving Sirius Black staring at her retreating back thoughtfully. James and Peter were whispering fiercely at him, but Remus Lupin only listened, nodding as pensively as Sirius looked.

Kat smiled momentarily. She liked Remus. More than liked, actually, but no one had any reason to know that. Lily caught her smiling and elbowed her side. Ok, so maybe they _could_ tell, but that was far from the point.

"Ready for class, Rigel?" Isabelle asked as the raven-haired girl joined them.

Rigella shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

Lily was still gazing across the hall toward the Marauders.

"What the hell do you see in them?" she asked wonderingly. "I really don't get it."

"Yeah, why do you hang with them? They're so… _arrogant_."

"They're not _all_ that bad," Kat reasoned.

"Oooh, sticking up for darling Remus, are we, Kat?" Lily grinned devilishly.

Kat blushed furiously.

"You're right, I guess, but then, Remy is just too much of a book-worm."

"I like to have a good mix of friends." Rigella shrugged again. "Hanging around with girls too much can mess with your head after a while."

"True," said Lily, "but hanging with guys, _especially_ those ones, is guaranteed to break your heart!" 

*********

Rigella sat two seats from the front of the class. Kat was sitting to her left, and Sirius occupied the seat behind her. Defence Against the Dark Arts was always one of her strong subjects, and the class had been going fine.

Until now.

"The Unforgivable Curses. They are among the most ancient of magics known to Wizardkind. They date back hundreds of years to when the torturing of Muggles and Muggleborns was common practice. The very use of any of them is enough to land you a life sentence in Azkaban."

Rigella shifted uncomfortably. Not this, not in her first class! 

"There are three Unforgivables, with three different purposes. To torture, to control, and to kill. Now…"

The teacher droned on, but Rigella could no longer hear her. The world was spinning. She could see her wand on the desk in front of her; 11 inches, willow, with a unicorn tail-hair as the core. She could feel sweat breaking out on her forehead. She could-

"Rigel?" 

Her head jerked up. Kat was peering at her worriedly, one hand on Rigella's arm.

"She asked you to name one." Kat whispered.

Rigella looked up. The whole class was looking and the professor's eyes were fixed on her.

"Avada Kedavra."

Her voice was so soft that she wasn't sure the teacher would hear.

"Avada Kedavra, the killing curse. That's correct, five points for Gryffindor. The killing curse is…"

It happened instantly. One second, Rigel was sitting on her seat, wishing she was somewhere else, just so she wouldn't have to remember, and the next she hit the floor.

Green light everywhere, blinding, burning her eyes. Oh, Merlin, the pain! Oh, Christ, please, make it stop! She prayed to every God she could think of, but the agony went on and on. She couldn't even hear herself scream anymore.

_Then came the laughter, and with it, despair. At that moment, she knew; she knew she would die- oh, Merlin, I'm going to die!- and yet, even as she fell into despair, she prayed for a miracle._

_Suddenly, there was something else: a black shape between her and the light. The torture ended so abruptly she almost passed out. She breathed, and it seemed to her she had never tasted anything so sweet._

_But then she looked up. **No!** whispered a tiny voice, somewhere deep inside her. **No! Not again!**_

_Too late, her eyes lifted, and she saw what had come between her and her tormentor._

_The body of her brother Aldebaran lay in a crumpled heap before her._

_"NO!" her scream went on and on, drowning out all else as it echoed into the starless night._

*********

"NO!"

Sirius leapt over table, trying to reach Rigella. The whole class was in turmoil. One moment the girl had been sitting there, answering questions, and suddenly she had screamed and keeled over.

He reached her side and tried to lift her face. She screamed and flailed her arms wildly, trying to fend him off. He jerked back, surprised, but then noticed that her eyes were still closed. She didn't know who was touching her.

Convulsing, she screamed once more and her eyes flew open. "Sirius," she whispered, and all of a sudden tears were streaming down her face.

He pulled her to him and she collapsed against his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably into his robes.

"He killed him," she sobbed, over and over. "He killed him."


	6. Chapter 6: First Alignment

First Alignment 

"How long did it take?"

"Six days." Rigella hugged her knees and looked over at Sirius. "I had to travel at night, mostly."

"Didn't you stop to rest anywhere?"

"What was the point? I had nowhere to stop anyway. And how do you hide a flying horse?"

Sirius looked over to where Aia stood in the moonlight.

"She's so amazing."

"Yeah." 

Rigella turned her eyes up towards the sky. On the open grounds above the lake, the view was incredible, the silence only broken by the rustling of the grass in the breeze.

But it was the sky they had come for.

"There. Orion."

"Where?" Sirius lay back on the grass, staring in the direction Rigella pointed out. "Oh, wait… I see it!"

He put his hands behind his head. "This is so cool," he said, gazing up at the starry sky. "I've never done this before. It's so… _open_, so free. It makes me want to run and scream and dance. I feel like flying. But at the same time… it's so… _calm._"

Rigella gazed at him silently. He turned his head towards her and met her eyes, not awkwardly, or uncomfortably, or even frightened, the way the other students had since the Defence Against the Dark Arts class three days ago.

He looked… _trusting_. Reliable. He looked calm, reassuring, and full of the certainty that, if she collapsed again, he would once more be at her side, ready to help.

Rigella sighed and fell calmly back onto the grass. She picked one of the tall blades bending gently in the wind, idly shredding it with her fingers.

"Rigel?"

She jumped slightly. That was the first time he had called her that. "Mmm?"

"The first night you were here… you said Sirius was the name of a star. Which one is it?"

She gazed up at the sky.

"There. See that bright star, at the top of Orion? Draw a line across that way… right there."

"Wow. That _is_ cool." Sirius looked awed for a moment, then turned toward her again, mischievous grin firmly in place. "Bet _you've_ never had your name in the stars."

She raised her eyebrows at him until the grin disappeared.

"What'd I do? Oh, come on, it wasn't _that_ lame…"

"Uh, Sirius? That bright star in Orion I showed you? That's Rigel."

"Oh." Silence. Then-  "I knew that."

She grinned at him. "Course you did." 

*********

"So."

Sirius looked up groggily from his bacon to find himself being confronted by the other three Marauders. James was staring down at him, smirking magnificently, flanked on either side by Remus and Peter.

"Where were you?"

"What? When?"

"Nice try, Padfoot. Even you aren't that thick."

"Last night," put in Remus, "when you weren't in you're bed."

"_And_ the last three nights before that," added Peter.

Sirius' mouth went dry. 

"I don't know what you-" 

James silenced him with a raised eyebrow. "Whatever. But as I've heard, a certain fifth year girl has also been absent from her bed over the last four nights." He grinned evilly. 

"Look, if you're implying-"

"Oh, I'm not _implying_ anything, my dear Padfoot. I just hoped that if something _were_ to happen…"

"JAMES, NOTHING'S HAPPENING!!!"

This time all three boys' eyebrows climbed almost to their hair. "Whatever," said James as the three of them turned away. 

*********

"Hey, Sirius!" 

Rigella plumped down on the seat beside him, helping herself to a bowl of porridge.

"Hey, are you alright?" she said, catching sight of his stunned expression. Her eyes followed his to the Marauders, who were now whispering down the other end of the table. "What was all that about?"

"They think I'm sleeping with you," Sirius said in amazement.

Rigella laughed. 

*********

Disclaimer: ok, I think we have safely established that I am NOT JK ROWLING. Everyone got that? Good. And no, I don't own Kat either.

**Thanks for the reviews, especially Carmal March, who seems to have nothing better to do with her time then read and review my fic!**


	7. Chapter 7: To Hate So Deeply

To Hate So Deeply 

Severus's fork hung poised above his bacon, forgotten as he glared across the Great Hall. His eyes were locked spitefully onto the figure of a black-haired girl, who was smiling as she listened intently to the blue-eyed boy beside her.

She could be his. She _should_ be his. Even _with_ his parents, his lineage demanded far greater respect and privilege than he received.

He _would_ have her.

Across the hall, the girl began to laugh.

Severus threw down his fork. Standing abruptly, he turned and swept from the hall. 

*********

Striding angrily through the corridors, Severus searched for a bathroom. On the second floor he found one- the Ravenclaw prefects bathroom, to be precise. The fact that he was neither a prefect nor a Ravenclaw didn't bother him.

He walked into the bathroom, locked the door, and began searching. He located the potions he was looking for- one a pearlescent green, the other transparent pink- and that morning, Severus Snape did something he had not done since before the term started.

He washed his hair.

Scrubbing vigorously, he fantasised about what he'd like to do to Black once the girl was on _his_ side.

By the time he rinsed out the conditioner, Severus was smiling. Even when the prefects began thumping on the door, he hardly noticed. He threw the towel onto the tiles, opened the door and swept past the astonished prefects. He nearly laughed.

Nothing could spoil this day.

Severus had a plan.

*********

On Saturday morning, Severus made his move.

"Hello Rigella."

The girl looked up from her Herbology assignment.

"Severus Snape," he told her in the same soft voice. He offered a hand, which she took, standing slowly from her seat in the library.

He smiled slightly. "Pardon me, but I couldn't help noticing that you seem to rather excel at Potions."

"I wouldn't put it quite like that," she laughed, "It's just one of my strong subjects."

Severus smiled. Flattery would get you everywhere. "Listen, I was wondering if you got the notes on the Skewif Solution from yesterday…"

Severus had to stop himself from laughing out loud as they sat down. Flattery never failed. This was going to be easier than he thought.

*********

Sirius wandered casually into the library just after breakfast on Monday. Stuffed full of sausages and pancakes, he picked absently at his teeth as he searched uninterestedly through the shelves, looking for a spare copy of the Transfiguration set text.

He rounded the end of the aisle and stopped dead.

Severus Snape was standing by a table at one end of the library, leaning on it as though fascinated by the books spread out before him. He wasn't alone, though.

Rigella sat in the chair in front of Sirius, twisting around to face Snape, her hair falling around her face and shoulders like silk as she smiled up at him.

Snape was leaning in towards her, his hair, looking clean for once, hanging like a dark shroud across his face.

Their eyes seemed to lock. His fingers brushed hers, and he stared into her eyes in a way that was too familiar.

Suddenly someone's watch beeped and the school bell rang. Looking slightly embarrassed, the two began hastily packing away their books and parchment.

Sirius felt some hot emotion begin to build inside him. Rage, hate and- jealousy? Impossible. He never had and never would have any reason to be _jealous_ of _Snape_! But it was there.

As they finally stood to leave, Rigella turned to Snape.

"So… tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow," Snape said softly, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. Rigella's expression was unreadable.

As soon as Rigella had left the library, Sirius began to run towards Snape. His heart was pounding so hard it seemed to be trying to punch a hole in his chest. 

He caught up with Snape as the boy reached the corridor, and he didn't waste time with wands. Instead, Sirius grabbed the front of Snape's robes and slammed him against the wall.

"You bastard," he hissed. "What the **_hell_** do you think you're doing?!?"

A slow smile crept across Snape's face. "Remedial Potions," he said greasily.

The smile disappeared as Sirius rammed him against the wall so hard his head bounced.

"You think this is _funny_, Snivillus? You think you can _use_ her until you get bored, and then just _throw_ her away? She's above you, Snape, you slimy git!"

"Or is she above you?" Snape seemed completely unperturbed by the fact that Sirius face was only an inch from his. "The way I see it, the great Sirius Black can't cope with the knowledge that someone else can achieve what he can't. That I have what he wants."

Sirius howled in fury as his fist connected with Snape's jaw. Over and over he hit him; he wanted to hit him until he cried, hit him until he took it all back. He wanted to-

"SIRIUS!!!"

The world slowly came back into focus. The corridor was full of students on their way to class, all of whom had stopped to stare as Sirius satiated his rage. He turned back to Snape, wanting to kill him, not caring whether people saw or not, and realised why he had stopped.

Holding him back were not only Peter, Remus and James, but Ravenclaw seventh year Elijah Nickles, and Tobias Chang, a grey-eyed sixth year from the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"Sirius, you've _got_ to stop! I don't know what he said, but at any moment Madame Pince is going to come and find out what the noise is all about. If they find you, you'll have detention for a month!" Remus's face was anxious and strained from the effort of holding him back. "_Please_, Sirius."

Sirius struggled for a moment, and then sagged weakly against the others.

"Ok," he panted, "ok…"

Slowly, to boys let him go.

Sirius turned back to Snape, who was huddled on the floor nursing a split lip.

"You touch her," he hissed dangerously, stabbing the air with a finger as though hoping to impale the cowering boy with it, "one more time, and I _will_ kill you."

Shaking off James's hand, he turned and stormed away. 

*********

Disclaimer: we all know the drill, I'm not JK, got it? Good. Umm… yeah… 

Thanks to everyone who actually bothers to read and review this. If you read it, but don't review it… um… please review!  Bring the feedback! lol! Thanks! 

**LOL (Lots Of Love, not laughs out loud, in case you're interested)**

**Rigel!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Storm Breaks

The Storm Breaks 

By some miraculous stroke of luck, it seemed that Sirius' attack on Snape had gone unnoticed by the teachers. Snape, for some reason, had told Madame Pomfrey that he had sustained his injuries because Peeves had pushed him down the stairs. As all Peeves did was cackle when questioned, no one doubted this story.

Late that night, huddled in armchairs by the common room fire, Sirius filled the other Marauders in on the whole story behind the morning's events. James, Remus and Peter listened wide-eyed while he recounted what he'd seen.

"That bloody bastard." began James angrily, savagely impaling a large pink marshmallow with the poker.

Sirius opened his mouth to agree, but got no further, because at that moment, Rigella stormed through the portrait hole. He hadn't seen her since that morning. There was a look on her face like nothing Sirius had ever seen before- flat, trembling suppressed rage. She was furious.

She spoke, voice flat and low, calm despite her anger. Quiet like the calm before the storm.

"You had better have a good explanation for this."

She didn't say his name, but they all knew who she was talking to. Sirius felt his throat tighten.

"Look, the bastard had it coming." He ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't stupid enough to try pretending not to know what she was talking about. Rumour spread fast, and Snape would no doubt have told her. _Stupid git_, he thought.

"Lose the arrogance, Sirius," Rigella snapped angrily. "I am giving you one chance to explain your actions before I lose control of my temper! Now do you or do you not have a good reason for attacking Severus?"

Suddenly Sirius realised that although he did have a reason, it was not one he could explain to Rigella, and he didn't think she would accept it as good enough, anyway, especially considering how angry she was. 

"Look it wasn't my fault, he practically _lives_ to provoke me-"

"Oh, _yeah_, Sirius, it wasn't your _fault_!" she snarled, her face contorted in fury. "You didn't _mean_ to attack him, someone magically _made_ you do it! Don't you _dare_ give me that innocent crap, Sirius Black! You knew fully well what you were doing! You just can't understand that people can have friends _other_ than you! I have never met _anyone_ so arrogant and self-assured!"

"What are you saying?!" Sirius didn't understand why he was suddenly so angry. He was on his feet before he realised it. "That you'd rather be with _Snape_ than me?"

"Is that _so_ impossible to believe?"

"He's a sleazy little worm! Ever wondered why he has no friends?!"

"If he's a worm, what does that make you? As far as I can see, he doesn't go around beating up people because they looked at one of his friends! I suppose you feel like some great big hero, after your pathetic little show of pointlessly immature violence this morning! Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out? I'm not stupid, Sirius! At least _one _of you can see that!"

And with tears in her furious blue eyes, Rigella turned and ran up the girls' staircase.

Sirius turned away from the others, hiding his face with his hands.

*********

He went to bed without a word, drawing the curtains closed. For once, he didn't want to talk.

That night, on opposite sides of the Gryffindor tower, two students were crying themselves to sleep.

*********

**Ok, sorry it took so long only to be pathetically short. it looked longer in Word.**

**I don't own JK's stuff. **

**Um. I think that's it! Don't worry, it'll reach its point soon, I just have to get through this tricky little business with Snape.**

**Luv you all, **

**Rigel.**


	9. Chapter 9: Finding Rigel

_A/N: hey guys, sorry it took so long but look! its an.... duh da duh daaah an UPDATE!!!_

_please R&R, i will try and update again ASAP. its really shameful, 7 months since the last update hangs head_

_anyway, i was typing this (i wrote it at the begining of the year) i ended up changing almost the entire thing... i got these really clear pictures in my mind... so i rewrote it to put them in... now i'm cheesed coz its gonna speed up certain events in the fic, but i couldnt help it... it'll work, i think :P_

_anyway, please review!_

****

**Finding Rigel**

For the rest of the week, Rigella didn't speak to Sirius. She sat with Kat and the other girls in classes, and walked past Sirius in the corridors as though she couldn't see him. At first she still sat with the Marauders at meal times, but on Wednesday, tired of awkward silences and the boys' attempts to reconcile her with Sirius, she walked past the Gryffindor table and sat beside Snape with the Slytherins.

Sirius wasn't angry at her, but he didn't try to talk to her either. He couldn't believe what was happening and he couldn't comprehend the effect it was having on him. After five days with only the Marauders for company, Sirius realised that all he wanted was to talk to Rigella.

He wanted to apologise, even though he still hated Snape. Nothing could change that. Sirius didn't think his actions had been wrong; Snape clearly only had one thing in mind when he looked at Rigella.

By the time Saturday came around, Sirius knew he had to do something. He was going insane; even James's jokes weren't funny anymore. All he wanted was to lie on the grass and watch the stars with Rigella again.

The castle was nearly empty when he went looking for Rigella. Most people were outside, enjoying the cold November sun. After breakfast, Sirius pulled on his cloak and left the castle. He trekked all over the grounds for hours, dodging snowballs and toboggans, but to no avail. Rigella wasn't there.

Feeling cold and frustrated, Sirius strode back into the Great Hall for lunch. After gulping down some pie and Butterbeer, he started methodically searching the castle.

He checked Library, the trophy room and every single classroom. He wandered the corridors and secret passages, and even paid a rosy-cheeked Hufflepuff first year girl a galleon to check all the girls' bathrooms. By dinnertime the only places he could think of that he hadn't checked were the green houses and the common room.

He sighed; the green houses were out of bounds except during class. There was not much chance that she'd be there. Dragging a hand through his hair, Sirius racked his brain. She had to be _somewhere_…

His eyes drifted upwards as he stood in a small courtyard beneath the old astronomy tower. The sun was setting, and across the pale pink and golden sky, the first handful of stars glittered softly. If only he could-

_The old astronomy tower! Of course!_ Sirius' eyes widened and he swung back around to face the tall stone pinnacle atop the castle. Was it hope playing tricks on him, or did his eyes make out the shape of a person standing there?

In an instant he was running towards the stone archway before him, heading for the nearest staircase. Reaching the first flight, he began to climb.

Thirteen flights later, he was at the top.

Puffing, Sirius came out on the landing at the top of the Old Astronomy Tower and stopped, momentarily speechless. The view from up here was stunning; before him lay the sparkling, snow-encrusted grounds, their shimmering whiteness slightly stained by the fading apricot-pink twilight. Higher up, the sky's peak was deep blue, tinted with purple and littered with glimmering silver stars.

Sirius had never seen anything so beautiful…

Except for one thing… one _person_…

He turned his gaze from the grounds back to the platform on which he stood. The landing ringed the top of the tower, which, Sirius noticed, had one carved oaken door. The soft gold-coloured wood shone slightly, darkened with age, covered in vines and tiny faces that peeped out from between the carved leaves. On one side was set a heavy golden lock.

But it was not the door that drew Sirius' attention. It was the cloaked figure sitting beside it that captured his gaze.

Rigella sat with her back to the grey stone of the wall, her hair hanging loose about her face and down the side of her neck. Her knees drawn up to her chest, her whole body was shrouded in a long cloak that was apparently black but somehow not. The lining of the hood thrown back from her face wasn't quite mauve, just as it wasn't quite pale grey. Despite the cold, her head was bare, and the hands that lay on her knees were white as the frost below. As Sirius watched, transfixed, she lifted her chin so slightly, tipping her head back to rest on the wall. In the heartbeat that they were open, Sirius saw the pale tears that fell from her anguished blue eyes.

Her hands clenched, echoing the feeling in his heart, and her nails dug into her palms. She sobbed softly, a look of agony flashing across her face. "Sirius…" she whimpered, as though praying her call would summon him, although as far as she knew he was stories below her at dinner.

But her plea did call him. In an instant, Sirius was at her side.


	10. Chapter 10: That Which Was Broken

**Ok, guys, here's another update! Thanks for being patient… I know its short, but its not my fault! The last chapter stuffed me up… I hope this is ok, it too has been completely redone :S** **Ok, to those of you who have reviewed at all, a big thank you! Special notes… **

**Rhylahna- thanks man! Although, your Queen of the Damned fic rocked my socks off… you'd BETTER have written more…. And btw, I want my cookie!**

**Infected by Choice/ Soul dead dragon- you harass me, I wont update! :P mwahahaha! I'll miss you **

**Fan 92- thanks! And no, it didn't make sense, but then, neither do i…**

**Marauderprincess- thank you! I'm sure that you can find something to criticise! I guess you'll have to read again!**

**Stardrops- hey hun! Yikes! hides from Reena don't be appalled! Look, I updated! And we have to get together asap! I'll do my best with LaF, I promise…**

**Justkiddin111- thanks Lara babe! I'm honoured that you say that, considering YOUR talent with words. Which reminds me, why have there been no new chapters? lip trembles aww, shucks, I get to be your favorite person? Dies**

**Druggo frog- Brendan you're evil! If you want me to review your fics, don't show them to me before you post them, that way I'll be online when I read them… and thanks, btw… **

**T'Lorie- thanks! Hugs how are you? When are you gonna come visit me? Luv ya!**

**DarkKestralSilkeQueen- huh? Sorry, I don't understand…**

**Ok, that should be everyone since my last update. If I missed you I'm REALLY sorry, I'll put your thank yous in the next chapter I promise!**

**In the meantime, please R&R! And happy New Year! May 2005 be better than 2004!**

**That Which Was Broken**

Sirius flung himself to his knees on the stone beside her, reaching for the hand that lay white against the dark satin of her cape. His right hand slid fingers gently across her cheek, and he whispered her name as his palm tried to bring warmth back to her icy skin.

"Rigel…"

Her lashes flew open and their blue eyes met, hers filled with tears and loneliness, his filled with regret.

"Rigella, I…" Faced with those eyes, he didn't know what to say. His mouth went dry even as he felt his cheeks grow wet with the tears that stained them.

Her face was red from crying, pale with the cold, and beautiful to him. Her eyes, glazed with pain, were wide and all the more beautiful for the tears that clung, sparkling, to her lashes. Her lips were the most delicate shade of pink, tinged blue from the cold, and it suddenly occurred to Sirius that he wanted to taste them. He imagined, just for a moment, the unrestrained bliss that would flood him, the perfection that that kiss would represent.

But for now, all that mattered was restoring that which was broken. Kissing her now, when she was hurt and probably still angry with him, would not be wise, he judged. The setting was perfect, but the timing was less than romantic.

Suddenly she sobbed and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Sirius…"

He pulled her close and held her as she cried into his robes. His own tears flowed, and he pressed his face into her hair, daring to kiss it softly while they cried together, clinging tight to one another. "I'm so sorry, Rigel," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry…"

She lifted her head, pushing back both tears and strands of her hair as she sat back to look at him, and cupped his face in one hand. Her touch was almost a caress, and the renewed sparkle in her eyes and teary smile on her lips made it all the more so. "I know," she told him, happiness shining through her tears. "I know."

For Sirius, it seemed that missing most of dinner was well worth it for making up with Rigella. Add onto that the stunned look on Severus Snape's face when the two of them arrived, Sirius' arm still around the girl's shoulders in a hug, and Sirius would have been content to go to bed without dinner altogether.

As it was, he found that the emotional strain had made him rather hungry, and he smiled as he took his seat at the Gryffindor table, laughing at the stares he was receiving from the Marauders. Peter's eyes nearly fell into his bowl of pasta, James' mouth hung open mid chew, displaying an interesting mixture of what looked like some form of roadkill that had made love with a lettuce before being run through a blender along with a weeks worth of tartare sauce, and Remus' began choking on his fried rice. (When Kat Evans thoughtfully reached over and pounded him on the back a few times, Remus stopped choking and went a beautiful shade of crimson, before hiding under the table.)

However it was Snape that made Sirius grin the most. The look of outraged shock on the hook-nosed boy's face was enough to make nearly the whole Gryffindor table erupt with laughter.

Sirius looked at the girl beside him and smiled. At least for now, the world was right.


	11. Chapter 11 The Fourth Dumbledore Child

**ok, guys and girls, here you are! and yes i know it took ages, i am SO sorry! i have actually had this sitting on disk for weeks, but my computer is spastic and this is the first time it's let me log on... i couldn't sign onto >dies>**

**alright, this may not be the most eventful of chapters, but i wrote it for two reasons- **

**firstly, because this chapter has a lot of background stuff, mainly about Rigella's family, so you know what happened, what the Manor was, that kinda thing. i think that its important; maybe you wont, but bear with me, ok? **

**and secondly, i've been suffering from writer's block, and when i was writing this, i was stuck for ideas on how to get where i'm taking this... so i sat down and did research, you know, Rigella'sfamily history, stuff like that, worked out all the dates and stuff.**

**on that note, i'm setting this as the Marauders' fith year being in 1972-1973, therefore you can assume they finish in '75 and the Potter's wedding is between then and Harry's birth in 1980. ok? good.**

**thanks as usual to all my reviewers- **(DarkKestralSilkeQueen- I get it! yes, definately would be... hmm, maybe i can include her thoughts on it later... thanks... you've sparked a few thoughts...)** i'd go through and thank you all, but i'm scared i'll forget someone! **

**while i'm here, i'll do something different and say, ah, what the hell! this chapter is dedicated to Countess Zephyr, for her little joke which i managed to write in. thanks hun; it tickled me too!**

**you want dedications and updates? REVIEW!**

**hugs all round**

**Rigella**

**ps: oh, and while i'm here- all the names in my fic have meaning. its always been that way, but as you'll see, there are a ton more names in this chapter. i actually went out and bought two new books to help me with that (ta Reena!), as well as digging through a dictionary for Rigel's mother's maiden name.**

**kudos, brownie points, and a dedication to anyone who can tell me two or three names and what they mean (yes, that's a challenge :P)**

* * *

**The Fourth Dumbledore Child**

Now that Rigella was speaking to him again, it seemed to Sirius that the days no longer dragged on. Time flew by, and in no time, November was over, and Christmas was fast approaching.

Every night Sirius and Rigella watched the skies together, lying on the grass on the slope above the grounds. They tracked the passage of their stars across the heavens; Sirius remarked once that he had learned more with her in a few weeks than he had in years of astronomy classes. She laughed and told him that if he'd payed even half as much attention to the professor as he did to Quidditch and Wizard's chess, he would have already known everything she had to teach.

Even after a month of Rigella being at Hogwarts, students still couldn't believe that there could be someone else with the name Dumbledore. A prefect's cry of "You, Dumbledore, the headmaster wants to see you!" as he ran down the corridor towards her caused all students within a 20 foot radius to stop and stare. Some laughed. Rigella smiled wryly as the prefect reached her.

"Eh, that's just weird…" he muttered, puffing slightly. "The headmaster wants you, Rigella," he rephrased, talking quickly, before walking off, his face red.

"Would that be like, Dumbledore, Dumbledore wants to see you?" someone asked. The students erupted with laughter. Rigella smiled and shook her head as she continued along the hall with Sirius and Remus.

"Honestly, they didn't think he was the _only_ Dumbledore in the world, did they?" she asked, sounding amused.

"I think they did," Remus said quietly, smiling slightly.

Rigella looked as though she wanted to say something, but ended up sputtering in speechless disbelief.

The trio looked at each other and suddenly began to laugh.

PARAGRAPH BREAK

Dumbledore leaned over the parchment on top of the stack on his desk and sighed. Lately, his mind would not stay on his work; at least, not the tedious, tiresome kind of work related to running a school. He supposed he had reason; thanks to Voldemort, the family he had thought safe were now dead, along with all the other wizarding people who had sought refuge at the Manor. There were only two people now living who shared his blood.

The first was his younger brother, Arberforth. Well, at least Albus didn't have to worry about _him_. The eccentric old man lived in Saint Mungo's all but officially; Dumbledore didn't believe Voldemort would go after the man there, if he did at all- Arberforth was too… unpredictable for him to be a reliable target. Believed by many to be quite mad, Aberforth had a habit of getting out of strange situations apparently by accident, in ways that usually involved walking canes, exotic animals and at least two kinds of fruit.

Albus sighed and pulled off his glasses, dropping them to the parchment. He rested his chin on interlaced fingers.

The other was the one he worried for: Rigella, his great-niece.

He thought of his other brother, Algenib, long in his grave. It was Algenib who had first developed his family's love of the stars. Equalled only by his passion for horses and the love of his family, all his children took their names from the stars- Aldebaran, Alnath, and Pleiades. The eldest of these, Aldebaran, shared his father's loves, and continued the new found tradition of star names.

When both Alnath and Algenib were slain by Grindelwald, Aldebaran became the sole guardian of his sister Pleiades. He loved her dearly and her loss only a few years later nearly killed him. For a time he wandered the world, finding no happiness, no peace anywhere. And then he went to Greece…

It was in Greece that Aldebaran met Orius Terpsichorean. She was beautiful, her eyes deep blue, her hair, black and glossy, falling richly down her back, and she was young. Although she was nine years his junior, both the Dumbledores and the Terpsichoreans had the long life spans of the ancient families and to the two, this gap was barely acknowledgeable. It didn't take them long to fall in love.

It did take them time to admit it, though…

For a few years, the two roamed the world together, each stubbornly denying that they were following the other, and refusing to fall in love. Eventually time – and fate – caught up, and their love was tried, tested- and proven.

After they married, Aldebaran and Orius returned to Aldebaran's childhood home, known simply as The Manor. It was in the southern part of the world, far from the noise and bustle of wizarding Europe. After so many years of wandering, the couple felt the longing for peace.

Late in 1942, just after she had fallen pregnant with their first child, Orius had prophesy, warning her of a "darkness" stirring in the world. She told Aldebaran what she had foreseen, and they decided to turn the Manor into a refuge for those in need. Aldebaran wrote to Albus, asking his help; his uncle agreed.

It wasn't until their first son, little Aldebaran, was walking unaided that the first of the refugees arrived- a family from Bulgaria, who spoke of a nameless wizard who came in the night, whispering evil.

As time went on, the family grew, and so did the number of those who came to The Manor. From all over the world, wizarding people came bearing the tale of the same wizard, known only as 'The Darkness'. By the time little Aldebaran had two brothers, it was 1955 and the new comers began to give The Darkness a name- Voldemort.

Albus sighed, mind whirling with memories dredged from places deep within. The names and faces of his dead kin flashed before his eyes- His nephew and his nephew's wife; Their first son, Aldebaran, strong like the father he was named for; Rosemary, the woman he married, and their little girl, barely three years old; Saiph, Orius' second son, elfin and in love with the world; Alnilam, the mischievous eighteen year old born on April Fool's day, which amused his father greatly and suited his personality; Alnitak, four and innocent, his face still round and dimpled, and his twin, little Mintaka, who died when she fell while playing at only three years old, and the two little babies who died before they were born…

So many; so many gone. Even after all their preparation, only one of them remained…

The fourth Dumbledore child was different to the rest. Whilst the three eldest were sons, each strong and as different as snowflakes, the fourth child Orius bore Aldebaran was a daughter.

As she grew, the feisty child idolised her brothers, wanting to be just like them, knowing she was different and fearing rejection because of it. Often she shed tears of frustration as she learned that she could not do all they could. Albus remembered well the little girl who had cried, sitting on his knee when he visited, telling him how she didn't want to be weak, she didn't want to be a _girl_.

He knew, even if she didn't, that there was nothing weak about her. In time, with the help of her brothers, her parents, Albus himself and the Gift she received for her fourteenth birthday, she, too, came to see that her worth lay within her…

A soft tap on the door stirred Albus from his reverie. He stood as the carved wood moved and a student entered his study.

"Rigella," he greeted her warmly, opening his arms as she shut the door.

His great-niece smiled, before peering around the room and clicking her tongue at him.

"Uncle, how can you work in this darkness?" she scolded gently, waving her wand. Flame blossomed from the wicks of candles that Albus hadn't noticed were out.

He chuckled to himself. Oh yes; there was nothing weak about the fourth Dumbledore child…


End file.
